UK government approves 27 recommendations against antisemitism in schools — Jerusalem Post

The UK government has approved all 27 recommendations of an independent review on combating antisemitism in schools and colleges in England. As reported by the Jerusalem Post, the document commissioned by the Department for Education was prepared by former Ofsted chief Sir David Bell.

The review, launched in March 2026, found that three in five Jewish pupils in England had encountered prejudice. One in five pupils overall said they had witnessed manifestations of antisemitism. At the same time, many such cases were not reported by either pupils or teachers because they were not confident that incidents would be properly addressed.

Proposal to treat antisemitism separately

The recommendations state that educational institutions should record antisemitism separately and treat it as a specific form of harm rather than including it only in the general category of racism. They also propose introducing a clear duty to protect pupils, strengthening teacher training, and providing schools with more detailed guidance on political impartiality when discussing sensitive international topics.

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Bell said that general approaches to combating racism, prejudice and hatred had not identified anti-Jewish hatred clearly enough. The review also recommends that schools and colleges use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.

Increase in reports

According to the Community Security Trust, 178 antisemitic incidents were recorded in UK educational institutions in the first half of 2026, compared with 112 during the same period in 2025. Education Secretary Lucy Powell told the House of Commons that funding would be allocated to implement the planned measures, including for staff training and the preparation of teaching materials.

Powell also said that teaching about the Holocaust would remain compulsory in the national curriculum, but would be supplemented with materials on the history, culture and contribution of Britain’s Jewish community. According to her, 40% of secondary school teachers who teach the Holocaust said they had encountered antisemitism expressed by pupils during such lessons.